Former lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has accused the legislators and lawyers currently representing Nnamdi Kanu of mishandling his defence and turning the high-profile trial into what he described as a “legal circus”.
A federal high court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment after finding him guilty on terrorism-related charges.
In a statement on Saturday, Ejiofor said he had received an “avalanche of calls” from supporters concerned about the direction of the case, prompting him to address recent developments.
Ejiofor recalled that his legal team recorded “landmark victories” between 2015 and 2023, including the 2022 Court of Appeal ruling that discharged and acquitted Kanu.
He said those gains were reversed after Kanu allegedly shared sensitive legal information with “clueless clowns” who convinced him to dismantle the existing defence structure.
He said this ultimately forced the withdrawal of his legal team, including Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mike Ozekhome, who took over leadership in 2022.
Ejiofor accused the new lawyers of trivialising an internationally sensitive case.
He said, “A high-profile, internationally sensitive criminal trial is not a circus ring.
“But once these bloated, delusional entertainers-in-wigs inserted themselves into the process, everything degenerated into a grotesque parody of legal representation.
“Instead of crafting legal strategy, they crafted Instagram stories. Instead of mastering case law, they mastered camera angles.”
He alleged that the defence team prioritised social-media visibility over legal preparation.
Ejiofor said, “At every court session, their priority wasn’t research or preparation, it was posing, filming, updating, grandstanding, and going viral. Meanwhile, the accused man’s fate hung by a thread.”
Ejiofor claimed that the “avoidable” conviction was a result of serious missteps, including the dissemination of false information online by the new defence team.
He said their public statements repeatedly contradicted courtroom proceedings, giving the prosecution room to exploit the inconsistencies.
He questioned how seasoned legal minds such as Kanu Agabi and Onyechi Ikpeazu were sidelined “at the most critical moment of the trial”, insisting that the case was “hijacked by mediocre adventurers intoxicated by social-media relevance”.
Ejiofor said the situation now requires a complete reset anchored on competence, discipline and reduced publicity.
He warned that globally respected legal experts would not intervene until the “monumental damage” caused by the current team is cleared.
